Demographics
for Vietnam

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Viet Nam) is situated in Southeast Asia, on the Indochinese Peninsula. It shares land borders with China, Laos and Cambodia and maritime borders with Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. The largest city is Ho Chi Minh City, but Hanoi is the capital.
Vietnam was serially run by monarchical dynasties for centuries and the size of the country increased. After settlement by Portuguese and Dutch traders, the last imperial dynasty fell to the French in the nineteenth century and Vietnam became a colony. In 1945 the nationalist movement Viet Minh proclaimed independence from France. War in Vietnam dominated the latter part of the twentieth century. After WWII, France tried but failed to reclaim colonial power. Soon after, the Vietnam War began as the nation had become so divided, with the communist north, supported by China and Russia and the anti-communist south which was supported by USA.
In 1975, the north emerged victorious and the following year Vietnam was reunified as a socialist state under the Communist Party of Vietnam. Wars with Cambodia and China ensued and, as well as a trade embargo by the west and ineffective economic management, Vietnam was left economically crippled until reform in 1986.
Along with Laos, Vietnam is one of two communist states in Southeast Asia. It is run as a one-party socialist republic, by the CPV and divided into fifty-eight provinces and five municipalities.
For centuries the Vietnamese economy has been built upon agriculture and most specifically the cultivation of wet rice. It is the world’s largest producer of cashew nuts and black pepper. Other exports include seafood, coffee and rubber. Bauxite is an important mineral resource. Tourism is a growing sector of the Vietnamese economy.
Most of the population still lives largely in rural areas, although migration to urban areas is increasing. Culturally, Vietnam has close ties with China, particularly in the north, where Buddhism is entwined with indigenous tradition. Folk literature and music remain important, and Vietnamese cuisine is popular around the world. Martial arts are practised, but soccer is the most popular sport. There are, however, some human rights issues which cast a shadow over modern Vietnam, including human-trafficking.
Despite the past, Vietnam is seen geo-politically, as a potential regional ally to the USA as territorial disputes continue with China over area in the South China Sea. It is a member of the United Nations and ASEAN.